Polymers useful as medical materials

ABSTRACT

One object of the present invention is to provide polymers suitable for use as medical materials. The present invention provides a polymer useful as a medical material having the general formula
 
-(A) l -(B) m -(C) n -  (I)
 
in which
         A is derived from a non-ionic monomer;   B is derived from a monomer containing a primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary amine group;   C is derived from a monomer containing an acid group;   and l+m+n=100, 0&lt;l, m, n&lt;100.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to polymers and their use as biomedical materials in the preparation of separation media for selective separation or purification of specific biological components, for example proteins and cells, from biological fluids. More specifically, the present invention relates to polymers useful as medical materials, for example in the preparation of filtration media for removing leucocytes from whole blood or blood products containing leucocytes, and to filtration media comprising the polymers.

BACKGROUND ART

The technology of the separation and purification of specific biological components is essential in the biomedical area, because the specific biological components to be separated are existed in the mixture such as blood, bodily fluids, culture and so on. Commonly the separation and purification of biological components involve some forms of chromatography, which has become an essential tool in the laboratory. Some chromatography, which is widely used, is based on the affinity of the biological interaction such as antigen-antibody. The affinity chromatography based on the biological interaction can achieve the high selective separation and purification of biological components. However, there are still major problems, especially the stability and high cost of the biological affinity ligands. On the other hand, the chromatography, which is based on the technology of physicochemical interaction, gives lower selectivity with low cost of physicochemical ligands.

Nowadays several types of polymer membranes are used for the blood purification such as hemodialysis and plasmapheresis. The technique of polymer membrane is based on the size separation. It is hard to separate the target biomolecules, which have similar size of other molecules, by size separation.

Therefore it is desirable to develop the technology for high selective separation and purification of biological components with low cost.

In the field of blood transfusion, which includes inter alia whole blood transfusion, concentrated red cells transfusion, platelet rich plasma transfusion and platelet concentrate transfusion, it is now accepted that depletion of the leucocyte content before transfusion is desirable.

For leucocyte depletion of blood products, filtration processes which remove leucocytes by adhesion of leucocytes onto the fibers of a fibrous filter medium are now widely used. In the filtration process leucocyte removal efficiency is high, the loss of erythirocytes and plasma is low. Also the procedure is simple and can generally be performed at low cost and at the bedside when necessary.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,330,410 discloses that a filter comprising a mass of fibers having an average diameter of 3 to 10 μm can efficiently entrap leucocytes. EP 0155003 discloses that a non-woven fabric filter comprised of fibers having an average diameter of less than 3 μm not only has a high leucocyte removal efficiency but also can offer an increased rate of treating blood. U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,998 discloses that fibers having surface portions containing non-ionic hydrophilic groups and nitrogen-containing basic functional groups, and having a basic nitrogen content of from 0.2 to 4.0% by weight, have good adhesion to leucocytes while being less adhesive to platelets. Using these fibers as a filter medium, allows removal of leucocytes to be performed efficiently while keeping the loss of platelets to a minimum.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Specification No. 8-281100/1996 discloses that the filter medium consisted of cationic and anionic functional groups can achieve the high leucocyte removal efficiency. The highly hydrophilic monomer containing hydroxyl, amide, and/or polyethylene glycol groups are also necessary for the improvement of the wettability. However, the polymer with highly hydrophilic monomers has low stability in water and eluted. Therefore, for practical use, the polymer has to be grafted on the hydrophobic material by chemical bonds.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

One object of the present invention is to provide polymers suitable for use as medical materials.

Another object of the present invention is to provide polymers and their use as biomedical materials in the preparation of separation media for selective separation or purification of specific biological components, for example proteins and cells, from biological fluids.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a filter medium useful for selectively removing components from biological fluids, especially for removing leucocytes from blood and blood products.

According to one aspect of the present invention there is provided a polymer having the general formula -(A)_(l)-(B)_(m)-(C)_(n)-  (I) in which

-   -   A is a non-ionic monomer residue;     -   B is a monomer residue containing a primary, secondary, tertiary         or quaternary amine group;     -   C is a monomer residue containing an acid group;     -   and l+m+n=100, 0<l, m, n<100.

In another aspect the present invention provides a filter medium in which at least a surface portion is composed of a polymer of the invention.

In a further aspect the present invention provides a filter structure comprising a filter casing and a filter medium of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Generally the affinity between the material and the biological components such as proteins and cells is affected by surface charge density and hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity balance. Most of cells and proteins are charged because of the functional groups, particularly carboxylic acids, phosphoric acids and amino groups, and the density of charge depends on the type of cells and proteins. Therefore, the affinity with the charge can be utilized for the selective separation and purification of cells and proteins.

On the other hand, the protein and cell contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts. As a result, they can form the specific interaction such as hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction. The hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity balance of polymeric material can control the protein and cell adsorption.

The polymers of the invention have been found to have an affinity for components of biological fluids, such as blood, so that they can be used for selective removal, reduction or separation of the components, for example by use as fibers or coatings in filters.

The term “biological fluid” used herein means fluid that contains the specific biological component. For example, the specific biological component is one type of the specific cells, proteins, interferon, cytokines, lymphokine, peptides, genes, nucleic acid, hormones, steroid, enzymes, carbohydrates, cyclodextrin, lipids, antibiotics, or pyrogens. Examples of the biological fluid include blood, plasma, serum, bodily fluid, digestive fluid, urine, or culture fluid.

In particular, the polymers may be used as a component of filters for selective removal of white blood cells and platelets from blood, especially for polymers in which m≧n. Polymers showing high leucodepletion tended to exhibit high human immunoglobulin G (IgG) absorption as well.

The term “filter media” and “filtration media” used herein mean media that can remove, reduce and separate the specific components, and include the membrane, the filter material, the loading material for packed column, and so on.

Typically the monomer residues are present at

A 40-90% by mol B 10-45% by mol C   5-45% by mol.

Preferably A is present at 50 mol % or greater, especially 50-70 mol %, and the mol % of B is greater than or equal to the mol % of C; for example when A is 50 mol %, B is 25-45 mol % and C is 5-25 mol %.

The polymer with high contents of monomer B and C is soluble in water, and the polymer with low contents of monomer B and C has low effect of the charge to separate and purify the specific biological components. It has been found that the polymers with 50-70 mol % of A, 25-45 mol % of B and 5-25 mol % of C achieve the high selectivity and efficiency for the separation and purification of specific biological components.

The monomer residue A may be derived from an ethylenically unsaturated monomer, preferably a vinyl compound, and most preferably an acrylate derivative, although other vinyl monomers such as styrene may also be used.

As the monomer residue A, units of structure D are especially suitable.

in which

-   R¹ is H, a lower alkyl, phenyl or substituted phenyl group; -   R² is CH₂—CH₂, CH₂—CHR^(a), CHR^(a)—CH₂, CR^(a)—CHR^(b),     CHR^(a)—CR^(b)R^(c), CR^(a)R^(b)—CHR^(c), CR^(a)R^(b)—CR^(c)R^(d),     (CH₂)_(e), where e=2-6, and R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d) are lower     alkyl groups and R^(a), R^(b), R^(c) and R^(d) maybe the same or     different; -   R³ is a lower alkyl, phenyl or substituted phenyl group; and -   s is 0 or 1.

Typical examples of suitable monomers from which A may be derived include: alkoxy(alkyl)acrylates, and alkyl (alkyl)acrylates, especially alkoxy(meth)acrylates and alkyl (meth)acrylates.

Suitable alkoxy(meth)acrylates include 2-methoxyethyl methacrylate, 2-methoxyethyl acrylate, 2-ethoxyethyl methacrylate, 2-ethoxyethyl acrylate, 2-phenoxyethyl methacrylate, and 2-phenoxyethyl acrylate.

Suitable alkyl (meth)acrylates include methyl methacrylate, methyl acrylate, ethyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, isopropyl methacrylate, isopropyl acrylate, n-propyl methacrylate, n-propyl acrylate, isobutyl methacrylate, isobutyl acrylate, t-butyl methacrylate, t-butyl acrylate, hexyl methacrylate, hexyl acrylate, cyclohexyl methacrylate, cyclohexyl acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, and 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate.

Of the above-mentioned monomers residue A, 2-methoxyethyl methacrylate, 2-methoxyethyl acrylate, and methyl methacrylate are preferably employed from the viewpoints of availability, ease in handling in the polymerization, and the performance as the filtration medium.

Unless indicated otherwise, references herein to “alkyl” groups means lower alkyl groups i.e. having 1-6 carbon atoms, which may be branched or linear. The group “substituted phenyl” is typically phenyl which may or may not be substituted by one or more lower alkyl groups.

The monomer residue B may be derived from an amine-containing ethylenically unsaturated monomer, preferably a vinyl compound, and most preferably an acrylate derivative.

As the monomer residue B, units of structure E are especially suitable.

in which

-   R⁴, R⁶, R⁷ are independently H, lower alkyl, phenyl or substituted     phenyl groups; -   R⁵ is CH₂—CH₂, CH₂—CHR^(a), CHR^(a)—CH₂, CHR^(a)—CHR^(b),     CHR^(a)—CR^(b)R^(c), CR^(a)R^(b)—CHR^(c), CR^(a)R^(b)—CR^(c)R^(d),     (CH₂)_(e), where e=2-6, and R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d) are lower     alkyl groups and -   R^(a), R^(b), R^(c) and R^(d) maybe the same or different; -   X is O or NR^(f), where R^(f) is H or a lower alkyl group.

Typical examples of suitable monomers from which B may be derived include aminoalkyl (alkyl)acrylates and aminoalkyl (alkyl)acrylamides.

Suitable aminoalkyl (alkyl)acrylates include dialkylaminoalkyl (meth)acrylates, especially 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl acrylate, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate, 3-(diethylamino)propyl methacrylate, 3-(diethylamino)propyl acrylate, 3-(dimethylamino)propyl methacrylate and 3-(dimethylamino)propyl acrylate.

Suitable aminoalkyl (alkyl)acrylamides include dialkylaminoalkyl (meth)acrylamides, especially N-[3-(dimethylamino)ethyl]methacrylamide, N-[3-(dimethylamino)ethyl]acrylamide, N-[3-(diethylamino)ethyl]methacrylamide, N-[3-(diethylamino)ethyl]acrylamide, N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide, N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]acrylamide, N-[3-(diethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide and N-[3-(diethylamino)propyl]acrylamide.

Of the above-mentioned monomers residue B, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl acrylate, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate, and N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide are preferably employed from the viewpoints of availability, ease in handling in the polymerization, and the performance as the filtration medium.

The monomer residue C may be derived from an ethylenically unsaturated acidic monomer, preferably a vinyl compound, such as a phosphoric acid, a nitric acid, a sulfonic acid or a carboxylic acid, and most preferably an acrylic acid derivative.

Suitable monomeric acids include carboxylic acids such as itaconic acid, maleic acid and fumaric acid, and especially (alkyl)acrylic acids such as acrylic acid and methacrylic acid; also partially esterified dicarboxylic acids such as mono-2-(acryloyloxy)ethyl succinate.

Other suitable monomeric acids include 2-acrylamidoglycolic acid, ethylene glycol methacrylate phosphate, 2-acrylamide-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid.

When the monomer residue C is an acrylic acid derivative, units of structure F are especially suitable.

in which

-   R⁸ is H, a lower alkyl, phenyl or substituted phenyl group.

Of the above-mentioned monomers residue C, acrylic acid and methacrylic acid are preferably employed from the viewpoints of availability, ease in handling in the polymerization, and the performance as the filtration medium.

A favoured group of polymers in accordance with the invention are polymers having the structure -(D)_(o)-(E)_(p)-(F)_(q)-  (II) in which D is

E is

F is

-   R¹, R⁴, R⁶, R⁷, R⁸ are independently H, lower alkyl, phenyl or     substituted phenyl groups; -   R², R⁵ are independently selected from CHR—CH₂, CH₂—CHR^(a),     CHR^(a)—CH₂, CHR^(a)—CHR^(b), CHR^(a)—CR^(b)R^(c),     CR^(a)R^(b)—CHR^(c), CR^(a)R^(b)—CR^(c)R^(d), (CH₂)_(e), where     e=2-6, and R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d) are lower alkyl groups and     R^(a), R^(b), R^(c) and R^(d) maybe the same or different; -   R³ is a lower alkyl, phenyl or substituted phenyl group; -   s is 0 or 1; -   X is O or NR^(f), where R^(f) is H or a lower alkyl group; and -   o+p+q=100, 0<o, p, q<100, and preferably p≧q.

A preferred group of polymers of the invention is derived from

-   A: an alkoxyalkyl (meth)acrylate; -   B: one or more of a N,N-dialkylaminoalkyl (meth)acrylate and     N,N-dialkylaminoalkyl (meth)acrylamide; -   C: a monomer containing a carboxylic acid group.

A preferred polymer is derived from:

-   A: methoxyethyl (meth)acrylate -   B: one or more of N,N-diethylaminoethyl (meth)acrylate,     N,N-dimethylaminoethyl (meth)acrylate and N,N-dimethylaminopropyl     (meth)acrylamide -   C: (meth)acrylic acid.

In recent years, the concept of combinatorial chemistry has spread into a wide range of fields, such as material science, biotechnology and catalyst design. The combinatorial strategies are appreciate for the complex system concerning with multiple factors. Combinatorial and high throughput methodologies, in which an extremely increased number of experiments are performed, will lead to new discoveries.

Nowadays several combinatorial approaches have been applied to the development of functional polymers. The technique of parallel synthesis and high throughput screening for physical and chemical properties of polymer are useful to accelerate the research. Polymerisations in this invention were carried out with up to twelve parallel reactions at the same time, in a Radleys Carousel Reaction Station™ (Radleys Discovery Technologies Ltd.) which can work with water-cooling and under nitrogen. In order to determine the molecular weight of the polymer, high throughput gel permeation chromatography (HT-GPC) was performed with a HP1090 Liquid Chromatograph equipped with a refractive index detector (Hewlett Packard Co., Ltd.). PMMA (Polymer Laboratories Co., Ltd.) were used as standards, and the column used was a PLgel 5 μm MIXED-C 300×7.5 mn (Polymer Laboratories Co., Ltd.). NMP or DMF were used as the mobile phase at a flow rate of 1.0 mL/min, and a polymer sample could be measured in about 12 min (5 samples/hr) using HT-GPC.

The polymers of this invention may be synthesised by a free radical polymerisation. Typically a mixture of initiator, for example azo-bis-isobutyronitrile, monomers and solvent, for example dimethylformamide, toluene, and ethanol are mixed under nitrogen, and polymerisation is carried out at elevated temperature, for example 60-80° C. After the reaction, the product may be precipitated by addition into a poor solvent (for example a mixture of cyclohexane, hexane and/or diethyl ether) to obtain a solid. The resultant polymer may then be washed with hexane, cyclohexane and/or diethyl ether, or reprecipitated, and dried under vacuum.

For further processing of the polymer as described below, the polymer is suitably prepared so as to have a number average molecular weight of from 5,000-5,000,000.

The charge density of the polymer in this invention can be controlled by the type and ratio of cationic monomer B and anionic monomer C, and the polymer, which contains the both cationic and anionic groups, may cause the intermolecular and/or intramolecular ionizations to raise the hydrophilicity. Thus, the polymer of this invention can adjust the charge density and hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity balance by the monomer type and ratio easily.

Generally the biological components are adsorbed on the specifically charged and hydrophobic surface. In the case of leucocyte, the leucocyte, which is negatively charged, is adsorbed on the cationic and moderate hydrophobic surface. Lower selectivity and less adsorption of leucocyte onto the non-charged hydrophilic polymer are observed, and excessively charged and excessively hydrophobic polymer gives the damage of the leucocyte and other cells such as erythrocyte to form the cell activation and destruction.

In another aspect the present invention provides a filter medium in which at least the surface portion comprises a polymer of this invention. The filter medium may be composed of the polymer but more conveniently, the surface of a support medium is coated with the polymer. The support may be for example be in the form of a membrane or fibers. The employment of fibers in the filter medium of the present invention is preferred because a fiber has a large area per unit weight, which is ideal for efficiently removing leucocytes, and fibers can be easily fabricated into a filter form.

As long as the peripheral surface portion of the fiber or membrane is made of a polymer of the invention, the fiber or membrane structure may be either such that the body portion of the fiber or membrane is comprised of a substance which is different in chemical composition from that of the peripheral surface portion, or such that the entire fiber or membrane is comprised of the copolymer. From the viewpoints of ease of manufacturing and cost in production, the former is preferable. It is preferred that a base fiber or membrane is first prepared using a general purpose polymer material conventionally used for producing fibers or membranes, and then a surface portion of the copolymer formed thereon. This is more advantageous than a method in which the entire fiber or membrane is prepared from the polymer.

Typically the peripheral surface portion is formed by coating the copolymer on the base fiber or membrane material constituting the body portion. However other methods of forming a surface layer of copolymer, such as forming the copolymer on the base fiber or membrane by surface graft polymerization, may also be used.

Examples of suitable base fibers include synthetic fibers such as polyester fibers, polyamide fibers, polyacrylonitrile fibers, polymethylmethacrylate fibers, polyethylene fibers and polypropylene fibers, semi-synthetic fibers such as cellulose acetate fibers, regenerated fibers such as cuprammonium rayon fibers, viscose rayon fibers, and viscose staple fibers, natural fibers such as cotton fibers, silk and wool, inorganic fibers such as glass fibers and carbon fibers.

The surface portion of copolymer may suitably have an average thickness of about 10 angstroms or more. If the thickness is less than 10 angstroms, it becomes difficult for the body portion to be completely covered by the copolymer. There is particularly no upper limit for the average thickness. However, if the average thickness is 1 μm or more, the cost for the formation of the peripheral surface portion made of polymer becomes high and loss of copolymer from the surface portion is possible when the mechanical strength of the formed peripheral surface portion is low. Therefore a typical range of the average thickness of the surface portion layer is from 40 angstroms to 400 angstroms.

In producing the filter medium of the present invention by a method in which the above-mentioned type of polymer material is coated on fibers constituting the body portion, the fiber may be dipped in a solution prepared by dissolving the polymer material in a suitable solvent, and then surplus solution is removed by, e.g., mechanical compression, gravity or centrifugation, followed by drying in dry gas or under vacuum at room temperature or at elevated temperatures.

Before coating, the surface of the base fiber may be treated with appropriate chemicals, in order to facilitate the adhesion between the polymer material and the fiber. Further, after the coating, the polymer-coated fiber may be subjected to heat treatment, in order to enhance the adhesion between the fiber and the above-mentioned polymer material or to cause a crosslinking reaction in the coated polymer material for stabilizing the surface portion. In addition, the coating may be conducted simultaneously with, or after the spinning of the fiber. Further, in the case where the filter medium of the present invention is to be used as a filter for removing leucocytes in the form of a woven or non-woven fabric, the coating of the above-mentioned polymer material may be conducted before or after the fabrication of the fibers into the woven or non-woven fabric form.

With respect to the fibers of the filter medium of the present invention, the average fiber diameter is preferably 10 μm or less, more preferably less than 3 μm, since the smaller the average fiber diameter, the larger the leucocyte removing ability per unit weight of the fiber. However, if the average fiber diameter is less than 0.3 μm, the filter made up of the fibers is likely to become clogged, and also likely to damage the cell wall of erythrocytes, causing hemolysis. Therefore, the average fiber diameter is preferably 0.3 μm or more. In this connection, from the viewpoints of the leucocyte removing ability etc., fibers having an average diameter of from 0.5 to 2.0 μm are most preferred.

In using a fibrous filter medium of the present invention as a leucocyte removing filter, it may be used in the form of a simple mass of fibers or in the form of a woven or non-woven fabric. However, the woven or non-woven fabric form is preferable because with this form, in general, the leucocyte removing performance per unit weight of the filter is high and, in addition, the filter thickness in the direction of the filtration flow can be reduced, so that the pressure loss may be reduced, enabling the blood processing rate to be increased with advantages. Further, in the viewpoint of ease in manufacturing (particularly when the fiber diameter is small), the non-woven fabric form is most preferably employed.

When the filter medium of the present invention is employed as a filter for removing leucocytes, the filter medium of the present invention may be packed in a known appropriate filter container for blood filtration which has an inlet and an outlet. The bulk density of the packed filter medium may be varied according to the fiber diameter, but is preferably 0.02 to 0.7 g/cm³. The “bulk density” used herein means a value obtained by dividing the weight of the effective portion of the filter medium packed in a container by the volume of space occupied by the effective portion. When the filter medium of the present invention is used in the form of a woven or non-woven fabric, it may be used as a single sheet of fabric or as a laminate of a plurality of sheets of fabrics depending on the thickness of the sheet. When a laminate of a plurality of sheets is used, the number of sheets is not strictly limited but is usually several to several tens depending on the blood filtration conditions.

Further sheets of non-woven fabric may be added to the stack as pre- and post-filters,. To remove cell debris and platelet aggregates. A preferred construction of filter is disclosed in European Patent 0155003 (Asahi Medical—Sepacell® filter), the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The filtration medium which has at least a surface portion composed of a polymer of the invention can be utilized in the biomedical, medicinal, pharmaceutical, agricultural, cosmetic, food industrial, and chemical field.

The invention is further illustrated by the following Examples:

EXAMPLE 1 Terpolymer, (MEMA, A-H, DEAEMA (70/10/20)

2-Methoxyethylmethacrylate (MEMA, 1.0 mL, 6.9 mmol), acrylic acid (A-H, 0.067 mL, 0.98 mmol), and 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA, 0.395 mL, 2.0 mmol), azo-bis-isobutyronitrile, (AIBN, 3.0 mg, 0.025 mmol) as initiator, and dimethylformamide (DMF, 4.25 mL) as solvent were mixed under nitrogen. In this case, the total monomer concentration was 20 vol. %, and the initiator amount was calculated as 1/400 of the total monomer. Polymerisation was carried out at 60° C. under nitrogen overnight. After the reaction, the product was precipitated by dropwise addition into a mixture of hexane and diethyl ether. The polymer was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) and reprecipitated with hexane and diethyl ether. The product was dried under vacuum at 40° C. overnight to give a white solid, 1.1 g, 78 % yield, Mw: 168,000, Mn: 58,100, MWD: 2.89

EXAMPLES 2-102

Using analogous procedures to those described above for Example 1, further copolymers were prepared using the monomers and proportions set out in Table 1 below.

The monomers used (in addition to those already identified in Example 1) are as follows

-   MMA: methyl methacrylate -   MA-H: methacrylic acid -   DEAEA 2-(diethylamino)ethyl acrylate -   DMAPMAA N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]methacrylamide -   DMAEMA 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate -   DMAEA 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl acrylate

TABLE 1 Polymer structure Polymer property Example Ratio (mol) Molecular weight No Monomer (1) Monomer (2) Monomer (3) M (1) M (2) M (3) Mw Mn MWD 1 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 20 10 168000 58100 2.89 2 MMA DEAEMA A-H 70 10 20 73200 36900 1.98 3 MMA DEAEMA A-H 70 15 15 89000 42200 2.11 4 MMA DEAEMA A-H 70 20 10 106000 44700 2.37 5 MMA DEAEA A-H 70 10 20 54200 27500 1.97 6 MMA DEAEA A-H 70 15 15 63600 31600 2.01 7 MMA DEAEA A-H 70 20 10 62600 28300 2.21 8 MMA DEAEMA MA-H 70 10 20 57400 34400 1.67 9 MMA DEAEMA MA-H 70 15 15 60900 31700 1.92 10 MMA DEAEMA MA-H 70 20 10 83500 42300 1.97 11 MMA DEAEA MA-H 70 10 20 57600 33200 1.73 12 MMA DEAEA MA-H 70 15 15 52700 25500 2.07 13 MMA DEAEA MA-H 70 20 10 56800 26100 2.18 14 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 10 20 155000 60600 2.56 15 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 15 15 157000 53000 2.96 16 MEMA DEAEA A-H 70 10 20 146000 61600 2.37 17 MEMA DEAEA A-H 70 15 15 125000 50300 2.49 18 MEMA DEAEA A-H 70 20 10 109000 35700 3.05 19 MEMA DEAEMA MA-H 70 10 20 108000 50200 2.15 20 MEMA DEAEMA MA-H 70 15 15 125000 48300 2.59 21 MEMA DEAEMA MA-H 70 20 10 141000 54200 2.60 22 MEMA DEAEA MA-H 70 10 20 104000 46000 2.26 23 MEMA DEAEA MA-H 70 15 15 106000 37000 2.86 24 MEMA DEAEA MA-H 70 20 10 105000 38900 2.70 25 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 40 30 30 84800 37800 2.24 26 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 10 30 117000 52600 2.22 27 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 30 10 134000 40800 3.28 28 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 80 10 10 182000 53400 3.41 29 MEMA DEAEA A-H 40 30 30 36700 13200 2.78 30 MEMA DEAEA A-H 60 10 30 102000 49400 2.06 31 MEMA DEAEA A-H 60 30 10 62100 19500 3.18 32 MEMA DEAEA A-H 80 10 10 157000 54600 2.88 33 MEMA DEAEMA MA-H 40 30 30 203000 58400 3.48 34 MEMA DEAEMA MA-H 60 10 30 129000 46500 2.77 35 MEMA DEAEMA MA-H 60 30 10 102000 38900 2.62 36 MEMA DEAEMA MA-H 80 10 10 177000 60000 2.95 37 MEMA DEAEA MA-H 40 30 30 125000 43900 2.85 38 MEMA DEAEA MA-H 60 10 30 108000 36500 2.96 39 MEMA DEAEA MA-H 60 30 10 122000 35300 3.46 40 MEMA DEAEA MA-H 80 10 10 163000 54300 3.00 41 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 80 15 5 208000 52300 3.98 42 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 75 20 5 166000 41300 4.02 43 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 25 5 163000 42000 3.88 44 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 65 30 5 160000 43100 3.71 45 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 35 5 159000 42700 3.72 46 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 55 40 5 123000 37100 3.32 47 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 45 5 129000 35600 3.62 48 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 75 15 10 173000 50500 3.43 49 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 20 10 112000 36000 3.11 50 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 65 25 10 101000 33100 3.05 52 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 55 35 10 106000 36400 2.91 52 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 40 10 99000 34500 2.87 53 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 65 20 15 129000 48800 2.64 54 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 25 15 123000 43100 2.85 55 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 55 30 15 104000 34200 3.04 56 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 35 15 103000 33900 3.04 57 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 55 25 20 101000 42000 2.40 58 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 30 20 84400 38300 2.20 59 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 90 5 5 196000 52300 3.75 60 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 80 5 15 147000 49300 2.98 61 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 5 25 118000 49300 2.39 62 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 5 35 110000 50500 2.18 63 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 5 45 76100 40500 1.88 64 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 10 40 97100 52800 1.84 65 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 15 25 130000 53500 2.43 66 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 15 35 115000 51200 2.25 67 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 20 20 126000 44800 2.81 68 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 20 30 104000 45900 2.27 69 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 25 25 107000 45800 2.34 70 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 75 22.5 2.5 224000 48500 4.62 71 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 27.5 2.5 224000 60800 3.68 72 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 22.5 7.5 248000 77000 3.22 73 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 65 27.5 7.5 220000 47400 4.64 74 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 32.5 7.5 203000 57200 3.55 75 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 65 22.5 12.5 198000 51300 3.86 76 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 27.5 12.5 197000 51600 3.82 77 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 55 32.5 12.5 193000 55600 3.47 78 MEMA DEAEA A-H 85 10 5 151000 47800 3.16 79 MEMA DEAEA A-H 80 15 5 143000 45000 3.18 80 MEMA DEAEA A-H 75 20 5 135000 44400 3.04 81 MEMA DEAEA A-H 70 25 5 110000 26500 4.15 82 MEMA DEAEA A-H 65 30 5 88900 23700 3.75 83 MEMA DEAEA A-H 60 35 5 71300 25300 2.82 84 MEMA DEAEA A-H 55 40 5 64700 23300 2.78 85 MEMA DEAEA A-H 50 45 5 72500 20700 3.50 86 MEMA DEAEA A-H 75 15 10 145000 59400 2.44 87 MEMA DEAEA A-H 70 20 10 140000 43300 3.23 88 MEMA DEAEA A-H 65 25 10 101000 34100 2.96 89 MEMA DEAEA A-H 55 35 10 67300 22500 2.99 90 MEMA DEAEA A-H 50 40 10 52900 17100 3.09 91 MEMA DEAEA A-H 65 20 15 124000 41700 2.97 92 MEMA DEAEA A-H 60 25 15 102000 36600 2.79 93 MEMA DEAEA A-H 55 30 15 85000 36600 2.32 94 MEMA DEAEA A-H 50 35 15 64300 21200 3.03 95 MEMA DEAEA A-H 55 25 20 71400 27000 2.64 96 MEMA DEAEA A-H 50 30 20 100000 46400 2.16 97 MEMA DMAEMA A-H 70 20 10 163000 44500 3.66 98 MEMA DMAEMA A-H 60 30 10 234000 83500 2.80 99 MEMA DMAEA A-H 70 20 10 202000 67000 3.01 100 MEMA DMAEA A-H 60 30 10 199000 73900 2.69 101 MEMA DMAPMAA A-H 70 20 10 197000 65400 3.01 102 MEMA DMAPMAA A-H 60 30 10 190000 88800 2.14 Protein Adsorption

The adsorption interaction between the polymer of this invention and protein was determined in accordance with the following microarray analysis.

On the surface of a glass plate of 75×10⁻³ m in length and 25×10⁻³ m in width, a gold deposition film of 3000 mn in thickness was previously formed by a vacuum evaporation device, CFS-8E-55 (SHIBAURA MECHATRONICS Co. Ltd.). Sample polymers and reference samples, namely, vinylidene chloride/acrylonitrile copolymer and cellulose acetate that were selected from a polymer sample kit #205 (Scientific Polymer Products Inc.) were dissolved in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidon in a concentration of 10 g/dm³ to obtain individual polymer solutions. The polymer solutions were added to a 384-well polypropylene plate (Genetix Ltd.).

On the glass plate having a gold deposition film coated on the surface, the sample polymer solutions and the reference polymer solutions were dropped by means of an arrayer device, Q Array mini (Genetix Ltd.). More specifically, a sample polymer solution was spotted 5 times on the same position by using a standard solid (no hollow) pin of 150 μg (Genetix Ltd.). To remove the remaining solvent, each glass plates was placed in a vacuum dryer and dried at 50° C. for 16 hours.

A Gene Frame® (ABgene Ltd.) was placed around the printed glass plate (used to give a uniform layer thickness across the array), and 3.0×10⁻⁷ m³ of the protein solution was added within the frame. The slide was then sealed with the supplied polyester cover-slip (ABgene Ltd.) and the whole assembly was incubated for 5 mins at room temperature. After the incubation the polyester sheet and the frame was removed, and the glass plate was washed with deionized water, 0.01 M phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.4) and deionized water in this order, followed by being dried with nitrogen gas at room temperature.

The AlexaFluor 647 (Molecular Probes, Inc.)-conjugated human fibrinogen (Sigma-Aldrich Co. Ltd.) solutions (25 μg/mL) and Alexa Fluor 546 (Molecular Probes, Inc.)—conjugated glycophorin A (Sigma-Aldrich Co. Ltd.) solution (12.5 μg/mL) were prepared in 1% whole human serum/phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.4), and they were used as the protein solution for the microarray analysis.

The fluorescent intensity of the protein adsorbed onto a polymer spot on the glass plate was measured by a fluorescence analysis device, Bioanalyzer 4f/4s scanner (LaVision BioTech). The measurement data of fluorescent intensity was analyzed by the analysis/calculation software, FIPS software (LaVision BioTech).

The fluorescence intensities, which represent protein adsorption amounts of vinylidene chloride/acrylonitrile copolymer and cellulose acetate as reference samples are shown in Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Polymer type Fibrinogen Glycophorin A Cellulose acetate 81900 50300 Vinylidene chloride/acrylonitrile copolymer 738000 777000

The corresponding properties for certain polymers of this invention that were tested are reported in Table 3 below.

TABLE 3 Polymer structure Ratio (mol) Example Monomer Monomer Monomer M M M Protein adsorption No (1) (2) (3) (1) (2) (3) Fibrinogen Glycophorin A 45 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 35 5 1,356,000 1,841,000 67 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 20 20 29,600 637,000 62 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 5 35 15,600 27,500 Preparation of Blood Filters

A filter base material was prepared by coating selected polymers from Example 1-102 onto a non-woven fabric (thickness: 0.20 mm, polyethylene terephthalate fiber with an average fiber diameter of 1.2 micrometers). The polymer coated non-woven fabric was clipped into circles with a diameter of 20 mm, and a filter holder was loaded with a stack of 9 sheets.

Blood Assay

Human fresh whole blood was passed though the filter stack at a fixed rate-of-flow 0.74 mL/min using a syringe pump, and the filtrate (4 mL) was collected. Leucocyte concentration was measured by a LeucoCOUNT™kit, a flow cytometer—FACSCalibur, and analysis software—CELL Quest (BD Bioscience, USA). Platelet concentration was measured by an automatic blood cell counters, MAX A/L-Retic (Beckman Coulter, USA).

Leukodepletion ability and platelet recovery were calculated from the formulae below: Leukodepletion ability(−Log)=−Log(leukocyte concentration after the filtration/leukocyte concentration before the filtration) Platelet (PLT) recovery (%)=(platelet concentration after filtration/platelet concentration after filtration)×100

The tendency to produce haemolysis was evaluated by removing blood cell components from the filtered blood by centrifugation (1500 rpm, 10 min), and then detecting haemoglobin by measuring absorbance at 576 nm.

As a positive control, a polymer currently used for blood filters (HM3—Asahi Chemical Corporation) was used. The difference of leukodepletion ability from the positive control was calculated to reduce the error between each experiment.

For reference, the properties for HM3 are:

Ave. (Standard deviation) Leuco-depletion ability (−log) 2.98 (0.38) Platelet recovery (%) 1.6 (2.7) Hemolysis (ABS at 576 nm) 0.25 (0.20)

The corresponding properties for certain polymers of this invention which were tested are reported in Table 4 below.

TABLE 4 Polymer structure Blood test Ratio (mol) Leuko-depletion Platelet Example Monomer Monomer Monomer M M M (-HM3) recovery Haemolysis No (1) (2) (3) (1) (2) (3) average average average 1 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 20 10 0.92 0.61 0.44 7 MMA DEAEA A-H 70 20 10 0.49 0.21 0.15 13 MMA DEAEA MA-H 70 20 10 0.39 0.00 0.13 18 MEMA DEAEA A-H 70 20 10 0.67 0.84 0.31 24 MEMA DEAEA MA-H 70 20 10 0.39 1.27 0.16 25 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 40 30 30 0.31 0.00 0.13 27 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 30 10 0.69 0.50 0.46 31 MEMA DEAEA A-H 60 30 10 0.73 0.26 0.51 47 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 45 5 0.30 4.63 0.77 49 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 20 10 0.74 0.53 0.40 52 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 40 10 0.32 3.70 0.24 54 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 25 15 0.61 0.54 0.28 56 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 35 15 0.55 1.39 0.23 58 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 30 20 0.27 1.39 0.31 69 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 50 25 25 0.41 3.70 0.26 70 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 75 22.5 2.5 0.67 0.58 0.76 72 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 70 22.5 7.5 1.26 0.00 0.94 74 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 32.5 7.5 0.82 0.00 0.91 75 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 65 22.5 12.5 0.52 0.29 0.35 76 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 60 27.5 12.5 0.72 0.34 0.54 77 MEMA DEAEMA A-H 55 32.5 12.5 0.72 0.58 0.33 98 MEMA DMAEMA A-H 60 30 10 0.41 0.61 0.14 100 MEMA DMAEA A-H 60 30 10 0.51 0.00 0.42 102 MEMA DMAPMAA A-H 60 30 10 0.23 0.61 0.13 

1. A leukocyte removal medium which has at least a surface portion composed of a polymer having the general formula -(D)_(o)-(E)_(p)-(F)_(q)-  (II) in which D is

E is

F is

R¹, R⁴, R⁶, R⁷, R⁸ are independently H, lower alkyl, phenyl or substituted phenyl groups; R², R⁵ are CH₂—CH₂,CH₂—CHR^(a), CHR^(a)—CH₂, CHR^(a)—CHR^(b), CHR^(a)—CR^(b)R^(c), CR^(a)R^(b)—CHR^(c), CR^(a)R^(b)—CR^(c)R^(d), (CH₂)_(e), where e=2-6, and R^(a), R^(b), R^(c), R^(d) are lower alkyl groups and R^(a), R^(b), R^(c) and R^(d) maybe the same or different; R³ is a lower alkyl, phenyl or substituted phenyl group; s is 0 or 1; X is O or NR^(f), where R^(f) is H or a lower alkyl group; o+p+q=100, 0<o, p, q<100.
 2. A leukocyte removal medium according to claim 1, in which unit D is derived from a monomer selected from alkoxyalkyl (meth)acrylates.
 3. A leukocyte removal medium according to claim 1 in which unit E is derived from a monomer selected from dialkylaminoalkyl (meth)acrylates and dialkylaminoalkyl (meth)acrylamides.
 4. A leukocyte removal medium according to claim 1 in which unit F is derived from a ethylenically unsaturated acidic monomer.
 5. A leukocyte removal medium according to claim 4 in which unit F is derived from a monomer selected from unsaturated carboxylic acids.
 6. A leukocyte removal medium according to claim 5 in which unit F is derived from a monomer selected from acrylic acid and methacrylic acid.
 7. A leukocyte removal medium according to claim 1 comprising 40-90% by mol of D; 10-45% by mol of E; 5-45% by mol of F.
 8. A leukocyte removal medium according to claim 7 comprising 50-70% by mol of D.
 9. A leukocyte removal medium according to claim 1, in which the amount of B by mol is greater than or equal to the amount of C by mol.
 10. A leukocyte removal medium according to claim 1 comprising a membrane or fibers composed of or coated with said polymer of general formula (II).
 11. A leukocyte removal medium according to claim 10 in the form of a non-woven web.
 12. A filtration structure comprising a filter casing and a leukocyte removal medium according to claim
 10. 13. A leucocyte removal medium which has at least a surface portion composed of a polymer having the general formula -(A)_(l)-(B)_(m)-(C)_(n)-  (I) in which A is derived from one or more monomers selected from alkoxyalkyl (alkyl)acrylates and alkyl (alkyl)acrylates; B is derived from one or more monomers selected from aminoalkyl (alkyl)acrylates and aminoalkyl (alkyl)acrylamides; C is derived from one or more monomers selected from unsaturated carboxylic acids; and l+m+n=100, 0<l, m, n<100.
 14. Method for the selective removal, reduction or separation of white blood cells and/or platelets from blood which comprises passing blood through a leucocyte removal medium as claimed in claim
 1. 15. Method for the selective removal, reduction or separation of white blood cells and/or platelets from blood which comprises passing blood through a leucocyte removal medium as claimed in claim
 13. 